Nebulizers which produce a fine spray or mist have long been used in the treatment of various ailments and in the administration of medication. Masks have been developed which are in fluid communication with nebulizers and which are worn by the patient to more efficiently deliver the spray or mist to the nose and/or mouth of the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,209 discloses such a nebulizing mask that is equipped for the nose and/or mouth of a patient.
Additionally, patients who suffer from an obstruction in the respiratory tract are often treated with surgery to create an opening in the neck through which to breathe. The result of the surgery is a stoma or breathing hole in which the patient is often intubated with a tracheostomy tube. Such patients often require the infusion of a gaseous medicament, such as oxygen, which is supplied into the tracheostomy tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,360 discloses such a tracheostomy mask.
Each of the nebulizing masks currently existing in the prior art, however, deliver the spray or mist to either the nose and/or mouth, or to the trachea. Thus, a patient needing nose, mouth, and tracheostomy nebulizing must carry out the nebulizing exercise once for the nose and mouth by way of face mask, and then repeat the process for tracheostomy nebulizing by way of a separate tracheostomy mask. Nebulizing is often necessary five to fifteen times over a twenty-four hour period for twenty to thirty minutes each time to ensure that all three orifices are sufficiently nebulized. A need has therefore been felt for a double-bodied mask that allows for simultaneous nebulizing of all three orifices through a single communication incorporating the functions of two conventional masks, while allowing for increased convenience for the patient.
The present invention describes a double-body mask that provides the advantage of reducing patient nebulizing time by addressing both face and tracheostomy nebulizing simultaneously. The present invention describes an improved delivery system of the nebulizing fluid, which may enter the mouth, nose, and tracheostomy tube of a patient.